Giant WR Should Have Chicago Bears Attention After Stellar USFL Debut

Nobody expects the USFL to be some sort of hotbed for future NFL stars. However, teams with some logical thinking would understand that the upstart football league could work as a great feeder system. Players who likely never would've seen playing time in the pros can get experience and development in that league. With some time, they might start to blossom. NFL Europe is a great example back in the 1990s. One game into its existence, the Chicago Bears hopefully saw one receiver announce his arrival in spectacular fashion. Osirus Mitchell was a solid wide receiver at Mississippi State, but he was underdeveloped with several holes in his game. Many technical issues and not enough speed to complement his outstanding 6'5 height and 34-inch arms. Still, he landed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and spent most of the season on their practice squad. Rather than try to stick it out this year, Mitchell opted to gamble on joining the USFL's Birmingham Stallions.

It seems he's not regretting it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XisylIWnJVw&ab_channel=USFLUnofficial The 23-year-old receiver was a big factor in the Stallions' 28-24 opening day victory, making five catches for 95 yards, including an eye-popping 35-yard one-handed touchdown grab. It was the latest flash for him, dating back to his college days. He had an uncanny knack for wild catches for all his inconsistency issues from time to time. If a team could find a way to channel that ability, he could be a factor in the fall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxcu4rfO2Dc&ab_channel=RSHighlights Mitchell's quick start is no doubt aided by the coaching staff. Head coach Skip Holtz is the son of college legend Lou Holtz and has a long history of coaching wide receivers going all the way back to 1989. He's coached several good players at the position, including Rocket Ishmail, Troy Williamson, Dwayne Harris, and Trent Taylor. If anybody can help Mitchell improve his game, it would be Holtz.

Chicago Bears can't afford to be picky at the moment.

It isn't a secret they need wide receiver help. Their three best options are Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, and Equanimeous St. Brown. Mooney is becoming a good player. Pringle had a decent 2021 but is unproven outside the Kansas City bubble. St. Brown never took off in Green Bay and was relegated to special teams work. This is very much a team in that "beggars can't be choosers" state. If things go well, the 2022 USFL season hopes to conclude by the end of June. That means any player in their league would be free to sign with an NFL team in time for training camp at the end of July. Signing Mitchell would be dirt cheap for the Chicago Bears. It couldn't hurt to at least give him a look. There is talent worth exploring, and he'll have nine games or more of experience under his belt by that point.

It will be interesting to see what other players might stand out.

The Bears have a history of ignoring players from other leagues. They didn't sign a single name from either the AAF or XFL in the previous few years. Even the original USFL, which produced some future Hall of Famers, only saw one player from their mix land in Chicago. That was Doug Flutie. Keep an ear out for Mitchell's name moving forward.